Family
by Kai Hart
Summary: Spike and Drusilla are madly in love, but Drusilla wants more. She adopts a child and what good can come of it? Spike is jealous and everything is falling apart. But something bigger is going on...
1. DisclaimerClaimer

**Disclaimer/Claimer**

**Unfortunately, I cannot say that I own or have assisted in creating the glorious brainchild that is Buffy the Vamipre Slayer or any of her many character personalities. Therefore…I must say I don't. There. I own nothing here except the plot, and therefore…NO PLAGARISM! But I would love to hear from my readers, so do review. I take the good with the bad, so….feel free to use your right of speech and comment. Protest. Appreciate. Bash. I don't care…just do it. Ok…there ya go. Enjoy!**


	2. Adoption

**Chapter 1**

Adoption 

A sharp crack of lightning stung the air as Adrianna awoke upright in her bed. The rain assaulted the window in torrents of beads and sounded much like the beating of the drums in the dream she had been drawn from. Her nightgown was sticking to her skin unpleasantly. She kept both eyes trained on the window, as if waiting for the shadow of some great monster to appear there. Another flash of lightning lit up the sky in a ghostly white shade. But this time, she didn't shrink away into the sheet because of the sudden light, but because of the scream that accompanied it. A sharp, high-pitched shriek was cut short somewhere. Somewhere close. _It's only a dream._ She told herself, pulling the comforter tightly around her neck as she lie back down reluctantly. _Don't be a child. It's only a storm. You're hearing things._ She scolded herself once again. Why was she so frightened of these storms? Ever since she was a child she had feared the lightning and thunder that came with the rain. She couldn't remember a time when she hadn't. Another scream from somewhere near sounded out. It sounded like it came from inside the house. Possibly downstairs. Adrianna clamped her eyes shut. _You're dreaming Adri. Wake up and stop being so afraid all the time._

She forced her eyes open, and, against the will of every muscle in her body, she sat and let her feet hang over the edge of the bed. She took a deep breath before placing them on the ground and standing. She was light on her feet and skitterish, and could scarcely hold the flashlight without it shaking viciously. The tile floors were cold under her feet as she took her first few steps toward he door. Her knuckles were white around the light in her hand, while the other gripped at her gown tightly. She wanted so much to return to her bed and hide her face among the pillows, but she had to check on her sister Kai. She had always, like Adrianna, been afraid of the heavy storms that swelled at Port Hart, and was sure to be afraid. Adrianna cracked open the door of her room slowly, letting the light of the flashlight send a slim ray of yellow into the dark hallway. She pushed it the rest of the way open, and sent the light out before her. There was nothing there. She kicked herself for being so frightened of something that was sure not to exist. She walked a bit more confidently to her sister's room don the hall. She stalled to compose her face before she entered her room. As she peered inside, she could see her sister lying there, turned towards the window, eyes shut tight and shivering.

"Kai." She whispered, coming in and closing the door silently behind her as she approached the bed. The small girl did not answer and merely contracted into an even tighter ball when she felt the bed shift from someone else's weight. "Kai. It's me, Adrianna." She prodded sweetly, seeming very brave to the girl. The small child at once leaped up from the bed and wrapped her arms tightly around Adrianna's waist and buried her face in her chest. She shook pitifully but didn't make a sound. "It's all right mime." She said, setting down the flashlight on the dresser next to the bed and wrapping her arms around her sister's back and stroking her long red hair with the other.

Even though Adrianna was not physically related to the girl, she had felt a strong bond the moment they had met. But, there was something odd about the girl. Ever since they had known her, she had never said a word. Not even a noise. A scream. A sob. Nothing. But they loved her the same and it always seemed that the two of them could understand one another. Adrianna felt much braver there with her, it seemed as though she was no longer acting, was truly unafraid of the vicious storm raging outside. Maybe it was because of her sister's horrible fear, but she could never really be sure. She always felt braver and stronger around Kai. She always made her feel happier and gave her courage. Adrianna hugged her tightly.

"It's alright Kai. I'm here to protect you. The storm can't get you here." She comforted, braiding her long red hair behind her back so that it wasn't sticking to her face. The young girl brought her face back to look at her sister. Kai looked incredibly frightened, but more comforted than she had when Adrianna had arrived.

"There's my pretty girl." Adrianna cooed, rubbing her cheek and smiling at her.

"See. There's no need to be afraid of the storm." She assured.

"Unless the storm drags in some strays." A voice coped from behind Kai. Adrianna looked up and could see two dark shadows standing in the corner of the room. This had to be a dream.

"Who are you?" she asked, standing up at the edge of the bed shielding Kai from view.

"We're the big bad, pet." The man said again. Adrianna could tell he was English by his accent.

"As big as the stars in the sky." Added a dazed and soft sing-song voice near him. A woman stepped out from the shadows with long raven hair and skin so pale that they contrasted strongly. A blonde man a bit taller than herself stepped in suit with her and wrapped his arms around the woman's thin waist. She was a loon.

"That's right Dru. And now we're about to have some dessert." He said, moving his hands along her figure and kissing her neck. Adrianna was confused and scared. She glanced back at Kai. She was huddling under the covers as she had been when she had come in the room earlier. She turned back around to face the odd couple, only to find the shadows were empty. Where had they gone? Adrianna looked around frantically.

"Dad!" she screamed loudly, knowing he would hear and surely come with his pistol. "Dad!" Her screams were suddenly cut short as a hand gripped her neck tightly. The air hesitated in her throat as she choked. She pried at the fingers with her own, but could not force them to release their hold. She felt a body pressed against her own from behind and the man's voice whispered in her ear.

"Don't worry Love. He's already dead." He said with a laughter in his voice that sent an icy chill streaking down her spine. His grip released and sent her body slumping to the floor. Adrianna tried to plead, but she could only cough for air. She tried to get up and run, but her legs wouldn't work. She tried frantically to move, but her body was frozen.

"Don't be afraid though. You'll be joining them soon enough." He smiled. But as she looked at him, she could see his face was not the face she had seen moments before. There were vicious feral ridges creasing his features.

"Kai…" she gasped, feeling her throat scream in pain as she did so.

"Oh. So that's the little bit's name. Well, not to worry about her. We'll take right good care of her, won't we Dru." He said, talking over his shoulder to the other woman, who seemed to be dazed as she stared at the shaking sheets where her sister hid under.

"Like the kittens in the river Spike." She replied dreamily without looking at him, leaning her head to one side as if trying to figure something out, and staring at the bed.

"Right." He said humoringly, rolling his eyes and turning his full attention back to Adrianna. "Now. Back to your death." He said, bending down faster than she could imagine and gripping her shoulders. Adrianna's eyes shut tight, afraid as she had been of the ravaging storm outside the window. Maybe if she shut her eyes and opened them again it would all be over. Maybe it was all just an awful dream. But she never found out. She never opened her eyes again.

Spike let the girl's body drop to the ground, some last drops of blood oozing from her neck. He stumbled al little as he stood, a bit dizzy.

"That was pure. Haven't had a bite like that in months." He said, regaining his balance and smiling wickedly, fangs peering from beneath his lips. When he turned around, he saw Drusilla, standing just as she was before, staring curiously at the shivering pile of sheets.

"What's wrong Love? Not hungry?" he inquired, stalking towards her and stroking her cheek gently with the tips of his fingers. He glanced at the sheets, pondering what it was she felt.

"There's something beneath the sheets." She cooed, rocking her head back and forth, but never taking her eyes from the bed.

"Yeah. That'd be the girl Dru." Spike replied dully. Most of the time he was completely infatuated with her madness, but lately, her act was burning his patience from the inside out.

"No. There's someone with her." She answered, pointing as if it were far away or hard to see. Spike was beyond confusion now and had resigned to just eat the girl himself. He wasn't really hungry, but he never knew when he'd get the chance at something so young and so scared again. He whipped the sheets back forcefully, exposing the small girl in her white nightgown. She had her hands clapped over her ears and her eyes shut impossibly tight. She wasn't crying or making any noise. She just lay there in a ball and shook. It was calming and he wasn't sure why.

"There's no one with her Dru. She's all by her lonesome. Are you hungry or not?" he prompted, ready to leave the house. It reminded him of his home when he was alive, and he wished nothing more than to leave the place behind.

"No." Drusilla said piteously, letting her hand drop back to her side. She sat next to the girl on the bed. "She's so warm. Like puppies in the fire." She smiled wickedly, and placed a hand on the girl's hand. There was a sharp intake of breath and the girl squeezed herself tighter into nonexistence.

"I thought you said you weren't hungry." Spike mocked, flipping out his lighter from his pocket and sticking a cigarette into his mouth. He lit it and took a drag.

"I want her." He heard Drusilla moan, wrapping her frail arms around the girl's head which now lay in her lap in terror. She looked on the verge or tears, but clutched Drusilla's waist tightly for safety. Spike nearly dropped his cigarette.

"What?" he said, examining the scene before him. He knew she liked children, but normally she just played with them a bit before eating them. Now she wanted to turn one?

"I want her to be mine forever. Like the sun." she cooed, stroking the braid still tied tightly into the girl's hair and rubbing her cheek lovingly.

"Dru, you can't even go out in the sun without turning into buttered toast, and you can't turn her. She isn't old enough." He said, recovering his cigarette and moving towards her, with an outstretched hand. "If you don't want to eat her I will." He said.

"No Spike. You're being very naughty. I want to keep her like a pet. The way she is." She said, seeming ferocious one moment and loving the next. Spike was more than confused and not inclined to argue with the nut so he gave in.

"Fine. But you're to keep her not me. She's not my responsibility. And if she dies it's your fault." He warned, scolding her much like a mother would her child about a puppy, figuring that she'd probably be tired of the girl in a week of two anyway and eat her then. Either that or she'd get killed on one of their little escapades. It didn't sway his bleeding heart either way, so he walked out of the room, stopping only at the back door of the house to wait for her. She came to him silently, holding the girl as if she were her own, whose eyes were still shut tight, and stroking her hair lovingly. It was an odd sight to say the least and Spike was still debating the levels of her insanity. They left the house, and made their way to the train station as if nothing had happened.


	3. While Babies are Sleeping

**Chapter 2**

While Babies are Sleeping 

Six days had passed since they'd left the house in Ireland, and Drusilla still stroked the little girl's hair the way she had they day they'd "adopted" her. At least that's what Dru called it: adoption. But at least she seemed happy. Spike hadn't seen her so elated since the beginning of World War II. They had purchased a home in Transylvania. It was a large manor ranch, and the obvious irony of them living there wasn't lost on him. He supposed that was why Dru liked it so much. After all, she was the one who made him buy it. She had begged and pleaded in her own special persuasive way until he folded and killed the owner. It was amazing how quickly it went up for resale. He smirked as they entered the foyer.

"Whadda ya know. Uncle Joe left us furniture too." He laughed, looking back at Dru, who was standing behind her, holding the young girl in her arms, incessantly brushing her red hair with her nails.

"Look Dru; if you don't let it walk, it's legs are going to atrophy." He said, striding to her and placing a hand caressingly on the nape of her neck. The child was quiet and merely looked at its surroundings with a blank expression. Spike was lost on this one. He thought it might be as batty as Dru. It never said anything. It didn't make so much as a peep, and he couldn't recall it ever showing any emotion since the night he'd seen it laying in it's bed terrified. No wonder Dru liked it so much; the child was just like one of the dolls she owned. But then again, with the things she did to her dolls, who knew how long the little blighter would last.

"But I like to carry her Spike. She's my baby." She cooed, giving Spike a soft smile of joy.

"Dru, you can't have babies. You're dead." He explained bluntly, pressing his lips together firmly. "Although," he began, switching gears. "We can practice if you like." He grinned connivingly, moving his hand down her shoulder and arm, and stopping at the small of her back, bringing her closer to him; as close as her grip to the child would allow at least. Dru giggled mischievously.

"Can I put our baby to bed first?" she asked, tilting her head lower and looking at him from underneath her eyebrows, still smiling at the thought of what was to come.

"Don't take too long, Love." He said, kissing her lips and counting his blessings that he'd finally been able to tear her out of arms reach of that bloody little girl. He hadn't been able to coax her into bed for a week now, and the little girl was going to be the death of him. Again. Drusilla slipped away smiling and cooing sweet incoherent nothings into the little girl's ear. He couldn't understand why he called her a baby. The girl had to be at least 6. She was really much too big to be carried in Spike's opinion. But, pushing the thoughts aside, she walked into the lavish master bedroom. It was decorated in a deep green with satin sheets on the king-sized bed.

"Bugger. I think I might not have killed you had I known you had such great taste." Spike mocked to himself, addressing the recently deceased. Of course he was only joking. The man himself had tasted a bit rank, but the house was definitely worth killing for. Especially if it meant one night of pleasure with Dru away from the little Irish brat. He shed his trench coat and dropped it on a fancily embroidered olive chair in the corner. He kicked off his boots and about the time he was about to take off his shirt he heard someone open the door behind him. He turned to find Drusilla sneaking in the room with a glorious sadistic smile on her face that meant fun for the whole family. His lips curled in a smirk that matched her own and locked eyes with her as she crossed the room.

"She liked her room. She said she could hear the angels sing there." Dru whispered, her eyes positively glowing with lust and ecstasy.

"So she speaks." Spike commented as she came within arms reach of him again.

"No. But I could feel it in my head." Dru said, shuddering with a laughter that didn't escape her lips. God he loved her.

"You're a case Dru." He said, caressing her shoulder and slipping the strap of her dress off to the side. She placed her hand gently on his cheek, guiding his gaze back upward to her face. What could he say? His eyes were wandering. He knew every inch of her. Every tiny molecule of skin was no secret to him. He knew all the right places to touch and all the wrong places to hurt. He knew everything about her. But every time she slipped off her dress it was new. Every time was like the first with her. She brought her lips to his and he obliged to meet her halfway. Like waves the rest of their bodies followed suit. She dug her nails painfully into his cheek right behind the joint of his jaw and he bit her lip in consequence and growled in pain. She could feel the growl he emitted in the back of her own throat and she relished in the taste of her own blood in her mouth. She let go of his jaw and pulled his shirt up over his head. Regrettably, their mouths had to disconnect from one another in the process, but it only made them want each other more. Obviously she had been holding out for too long. Spike reached around and pulled her body close ridding her of her dress much quicker than she had disposed of his shirt. He pulled it down and heard it drop around her ankles.

"Spike is hungry." She sang seductively as his mouth nibbled at her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

"Hungry for you Love." He said, coming up for air and holding her gaze. She reached down and undid the buckle of the belt on his jeans. All the while their eyes stayed connected and they smiled. She unzipped his pants and reached inside roughly. She gripped him tightly as his belt buckle hit the ground near her dress. She purred like a kitten, caressing him slowly along his length. Spike inhaled deeply, only closing his eyes for a fluttering second at the sheer ecstasy of her touch. As soon as she saw him falter she pressed her lips to his again. He didn't fight her and merely picked her up by the thighs and wrapped her legs around his waist. They kissed for a moment while he walked towards the bed, falling onto of her as they hit the green satin sheets a moment later. Their tongues battled for dominance as he positioned himself on top of her. He was about to enter before she stopped him.

"Spike," she moaned, pressing a finger to his chest and running her nail along the center, leaving a tiny trail of blood. He looked her in the eye without faltering and seemed slightly disturbed by her sudden stop, though not put out.

"Do you promise to make it hurt?" she said, suddenly running five sharp and trained claws down his arm with the other hand. Spike hissed at the sting but relished the throb it gave him. Her games were what it feel so good.

"Always." He growled, breaking into her roughly. She gasped at first, but her open mouth was soon devoured by his. He ground her slowly, their hips running in synchronized motion on top of the sheets, obscuring their once neat folds. Drusilla sank her claws into the sensitive flesh of his back and felt him bite her again. He loved her. He loved her taste and her smell. He loved how tight it felt inside her. He rotated slightly, making her shudder and moan. His kissed down her neck and shoulders, only slowing when he reached her breasts, pausing there for a light nibble that made her absolutely wail. He started moving faster, causing the friction to mount up between them. She gripped his thighs and forced him into her harder and more roughly than before. It wasn't unusual and he gave her exactly what she wanted. He would do anything to hear her scream. He slowed slightly to tease her, but it only made her ferocious. She flipped him underneath her and clawed his chest violently with a vicious hiss. He could see the ridges on her face and the fangs protruding from beneath her ruby lips, and it made him twinge hungrily at the thought. Drusilla threw her head back in sheer abandonment and rocked on him, digging his hips roughly back into the mattress. Spike could feel her coming and could see he was near an end as well. She was sweating and screaming as she came before him. He felt her and his lust wouldn't be slain. He sat upright and kissed her moaning mouth and caressed her soft breasts before falling on top of her again. He forced every last bit of energy had had into the last few minutes before he came, moaning himself and panting for air. Her walls were heaven and he stayed inside her for a moment as he lay on top of her, stroking her hair and cheeks.

"I love the things you do." he whispered, kissing her softly once before rolling over beside her. She turned to face him, exasperated and tired.

"You make my insides scream." She smiled, running her fingers over the deep red marks she'd left on his exposed chest. Spike smiled before they both fell asleep wrapped around each other and tangled in the sheets of the four-poster bed. The great green velvet canopy hung above them as they drifted from reality together; neither breathing nor alive.


	4. Thanks

Hey guys! Sorry It's been so long since I've updated! I had a PRECIOUS new addition to the family and I kinda got out of the loop of things. But, I got a few recent reviews from some really great readers, and decided that I should start writing again! I love it, and figured I should do something for myself. So, here's the newest chapter to my story! I hope you like it!


	5. Mind Games

**Chapter 3**

**Mind Games**

When Spike rose, he found himself alone in the emerald sheets. He heard giggling from outside the bedroom door and smirked at the thought of the night before. Dru was amazing. He pulled on his pants, buckling the belt and not bothering with the shirt. He pushed open the tall oak doors of the bedroom and stood there, admiring Drusilla running around nude in the foyer. She was positively mad, but he couldn't get enough of her. Her raven hair concealed nearly everything from the waist up and it was slightly disappointing. He walked towards her, only to catch sight of the little girl dancing off to the side, only she was clothed, wearing he same nightgown she had been for the past few days. She seemed completely oblivious to his presence and it entranced him.

"Isn't she beautiful Spike?" Drusilla sang, coming up behind him and leaning her head in one direction in the odd way she did.

"You're beautiful, Love." He said coming out of his daze, turning on her and pulling her close to him. Dru giggled appreciatively and looked back at the girl.

"What should we call her?" she pondered, smiling at her doll's sprite-ish dancing.

"The older one said her name was Kai." Spike responded non-chalanlty, rather annoyed at having his advances consistently cut short by some mention of the little girl.

"Kai." Drusilla sang, pushing away from Spike and walking towards the child. The girl stopped dancing and turned to Drusilla smiling, but it disappeared as soon as she caught wind of Spike, standing shirtless watching them. She immediately adopted the blank-faced stare she'd held for days. Spike watched her intently. Did he scare her? Probably, but he didn't much give a bloody slayer's ass either way. Drusilla squatted down to the girl and ran her fingers through a strand of her long red hair. Kai didn't respond or even seem to calculate her presence there.

"We should buy you a dress. A nice green one to match the angels." She smiled sweetly, taking her by the hand and standing up.

"Spike. May we buy her a dress? A pretty one with frills and sparkles?" she whined giddily, guiding the girl towards him. Spike rolled his eyes but couldn't deny her. He never could.

"Sure Pet. Anything you want." He agreed blandly. Drusilla giggled happily and picked the small girl up into her arms as if she weighed nothing. She probably didn't. She was a scrawny little thing if he'd ever seen one. Drusilla was almost opening the front door before Spike spoke up.

"Dru, you might want to put some clothes on. You don't want to frighten the locals." He said a bit snappishly. This kid was irritating him more and more every moment of her pitiful little existence. He just wanted to suck her dry and get it over with. Drusilla turned to look at him and pouted momentarily.

"Spike is unhappy. He says mean things." She cooed to the little girl, running a knuckle softly over her cheek. But then, quite suddenly she smiled and was happy again. "Would you like to help mummy pick out a dress?" she asked, and getting no response pranced happily into the bedroom regardless, child still in her arms. A few minutes later she had emerged with the girl walking beside her, gripping her pale hand fiercely with both of her tiny ones. Drusilla handed Spike his shirt and he put it on reluctantly. He hadn't really planned on going with, but it didn't appear that he was being given much of a choice.

"Come Spike. We've an idea to make you happy." She whispered into his ear seductively. He had to admit to himself that his interest was perked and liked the sound of this surprise. He tilted his head a bit to get a better angle and kissed her lightly before placing an arm around her waist on the side opposite the little girl. To the average observer they were an odd group indeed. It seemed as though the sun had just set, and the night was young and ripe. Drusilla floated the streets happily; humming obscure and horrid little tunes to herself that were never once the same. The little girl didn't dance but followed obediently and without a fuss. Spike watched the two of them and found the irony a bit sour for his liking. He briefly wondered what Dru would do should the child suddenly turn up missing in the morning, but he dismissed the thought of depriving her of happiness, no matter how temporarily, and went about his business. He watched faces as they passed, scouring for the most beautiful youth he could find. A young woman tonight. The youthful were always his favorite to start the evening off. They always gave him the energy he needed to stay fully powered the entire night. He had only been searching for a few minutes when he looked to see Drusilla stalking towards him again. She seemed bothered by something.

"Dru, how am I bloody going to get any hunting done if you keep interrupting me? Hm? You're like a bloody cat stirring the fish bowl." He snapped, having eyed a particularly juicy teenage girl walking in his direction. She caught sight of Drusilla and covertly changed direction for a nearby shop. Drusilla looked hurt and shied away from him in a reclusive sort of way that implied frailty. Spike rolled his eyes and huffed in irritation. He grabbed her arm and spun her to face him again after she'd turned away.

"Look Dru. I'm sorry. It's just-" he paused trying to think of what to say to her. Sometimes talking to her was as bad as walking on eggshells. He had only paused for a moment when he noticed that for once in the past week, the little brat wasn't conjoined at the hip to his beloved Pet. He grinned inwardly.

"Did you eat her already?" Spike wondered out loud, not really meaning to say it. Drusilla looked a bit appalled and then pouted more pitifully than before. She moaned woefully. Spike kicked himself for having said such a stupid thing. Drusilla turned away and would not allow him to pull her back to him. Spike followed her, forsaking the hunt and the juicy teenage girl. Tonight was her lucky night it seemed.

"Dru-" Spike began. Drusilla merely covered her ears with her hands and started to hum a sickly little tune that disturbed even him.

"Pet-" he began again, jogging to step in front of her and cut her off.

Drusilla stopped but did not remover her hands from her head and merely continued singing mournfully.

"-keeping up their heads with arrows and guns-" she mumbled rhythmically. Spike was passed the point of irritation, but he couldn't bring himself to shout at her: his gift and his curse.

"Dru, listen to me…" He said, reaching up, and as gently as he could force himself to, pried her hands from her ears. She let him this time, stopping her song the minute her hands were no longer blocking him out. It was like she could only hear it if she couldn't hear at all. "I'm not angry with you. I was only in the middle of a hunt. That's it. I'm not bothered by you." He apologized temperamentally, interlacing his fingers in hers and giving her a fake smile that caused her to lighten up a bit.

"You're not angry?" she asked, eyes filled with trust and a gloss he couldn't determine the meaning behind.

"No Pet. I'm never angry with you." He answered stiffly.

"You don't like her." Drusilla said, eyes glazing over as if she wasn't really looking at him but into him. Sometimes he believed she could.

"Who, Pet?" he asked, knowing very well who she was referring to.

"Our daughter." She sang with a furrowed brow that would have made his heart stand still had it been beating. He hadn't expected her to take such a liking to the small thing and really had dismissed it as a temporary fascination. Of course, he couldn't explain that to her, and merely settled for the short answer; the one that didn't consist of the truth.

"The little girl? I like her fine Dru." Spike responded quickly, brushing the question over his shoulder. She seemed to perk slightly but showed a hint of dazed disbelief. He could never really tell if she believed his lies. Sometimes he thought she wasn't really convinced and just played along until the opportune moment came.

"You must see." She said, brightening up as quickly as she'd dimmed and taking his hand, pulled him down an alley nearby. Spike followed reluctantly with one hand in hers and the other in the pocket of his pants. She led him for a few moments urgently until they reached a foggy little square were no one could be seen. It was quite odd having just come from a crowded street to such a desolate place, and he was not unwary of his surroundings. Drusilla seemed completely oblivious to the current change and went about frolicking in front of him and guiding him along. Spike had read Dante's _Inferno_, and somewhat thought that if he had to go on a journey through Hell; this would be what it was like. A crazy woman dancing in front of him singing meaningless verses like, "they march without their heads," and doing absolutely nothing but getting on his ever-eternal last nerve. Finally she stopped and pointed in complete seriousness out in front of her through the fog. Spike could see absolutely nothing and was about to dismiss it as yet another one of her pointless batty quests to show him some horrid figment of her imagination when he heard a slight shuffle of feet on the pavement. He looked towards Dru, who merely smiled as if she had just presented him with a priceless jewel.

"Hello. Is someone there?" he asked cautiously, knowing very well what Drusilla thought was fun and gay, could be something dangerous and deadly. Spike heard another rustle behind him where Dru was and turned sharply to get a glimpse of whatever it was that was stalking them.

"Spike. It hurts." Dru moaned from behind him, looking downcast and at the pavement beneath her feet. He looked to her quickly and quizzically.

"What hurts Love?" Drusilla held up a hand covered in blood.

"It screams of fear." She cried. He looked to her feet where she stood in a small puddle of blood that seemed to have appeared out of thin air. Surely he would have smelt it before had it been there previously. He wondered briefly who it belonged to. He had a sudden thought. Spike smiled at the ecstatic notion that he may be rid of the little redheaded half-pint after all. He nearly missed catching Drusilla as she went weak at the knees and dropped quickly to the ground. He slowed her fall and let her lay gently on the ground, running a hand through her hair and creasing his brow as he morphed his features into something grotesque by comparison.

"Dru? Love?" he said, filled with worry, shaking her to wake. Dammit. He picked up on the shuffle again from behind him through the fog and stood quickly, leaving Drusilla where she lay.

"Show yourself. Unless you're too much of a pus-" he was cut off when a sharp blow to his head broke him in mid-sentence. He stumbled but recovered looking about him for his attacker. There was nothing. He couldn't see anything. He listened and could hear it, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it before it barreled another blow to his jaw, sending him reeling and leaving him unaware of which direction he was facing. He shook it off until his vision was clear again and fixed his ears for sounds again. It was to his right. No, his left. No, in front of him. Bugger it was fast. He concentrated, catching its pattern. The next time it struck he was ready for it. He stiff-armed it; grabbing it by the throat and stopping it's momentum before it could land another blow. He tightened his hold, giving it a good once-over, deciphering what it was exactly. It looked human enough, and could have passed for one at night in the shadows. It was a half-breed demon. It looked more or less like a human girl with the exception of having horizontal slits for irises that flexed and seemed to change from red to yellow with each blink of her eyes. She had a rough nose that seemed to be scaley in texture but passed for skin well enough. Her nostrils flared in anger. In his opinion, it was _he_ who should be angry, not her. Although in her position, she didn't have the right to do much of anything without his permission; including breathe. She clutched at his hand, leaving claw marks from her unusually thick nails that seemed sharper than your average teenage girl's.

"Coax demon." He muttered, pressing his lips together in his typical manner and massaging the inside of his cheek with his tongue and then running it over his enlarged canines. He'd seen one before but never had to fight one. He guessed there was a first time for everything. He popped his neck, relieving it from the twinge the last hit had left.

"Name's Jorte" she hissed, sounding a bit reptilian. Spike took it as a sign of defiance and the perfect opportunity to punish her further for being dumb enough to attack him in the first place.

"You're fast." He said, addressing his present victim. She seemed to be having trouble breathing. Too bad. "Let's see how fast you are once I break your legs." He copped, pinning one foot to the pavement with his weight and kicking the knee in with his other. A satisfying crack met his ears and with it came an ear-shattering cry that wasn't so pleasant. The little demon had a set of lungs that busted out a few windows and probably drew attention from several streets over. He tilted his head and gritted his teeth at her.

He dropped her to the ground and watched her writhe there in pain for a moment before becoming bored with her moaning and gripping her long brunette hair and dragging her along behind him across the square. The fog seemed to have cleared and he wondered if it had been partly her dominant presence there that had caused in the first place. He kicked in the door of an abandoned looking building and dragging her inside, picking her up and pressing her violently against a plaster wall that dented in under the force.

"What's wrong with Dru?" he questioned. She had one shot to answer this before the other leg went as well.

"Fuck you vampire." She spat, smiling with a tiny dribble of blood leaking out of the corner of her mouth. Spike sighed and kicked in her other knee against the wall with bone-crushing force. The demon opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Excruciating pain. He liked the sound of that painful silence.

"Let's try this again. What's wrong with Dru?" he said calmly as if he were merely asking for a weather forecast and tilting his head from one angle to another. Jorte hissed in pain and struggled against him, but if was of little use.

"You can kill me first." She breathed.

"Wrong answer." He said, dropping her to the ground. He grabbed her by the shoulders and tossed her onto a rickety table in the middle of the room. It snapped easily under the force of her fall and she lay there rolling in delicious, burning pain. "I'm going to ask you one more time before I bake you like a Jew in an oven." He warned, becoming irritated and flipping out his lighter from his back pocket. He needed to now how he could fix her, and he would leave no lengths unscathed in the search for his answers. She wailed pitifully and broke. _That was easy. _He thought.

"You can't. You broke it." She whined through the tears.

"You're lying demon. Don't think I won't toast you." He said, patience gone. He flipped open the lid of his lighter naturally and set the hem of her jeans on fire. The flame took a minute to grow and he squatted near her head waiting for an appropriate answer.

"It's the truth! My jacket pocket! The vial's there! It's broke! It's true!" she screamed pathetically, causing his ears to ring a bit from the pitch of her voice. He thought it must be something to do with the fact that she wasn't entirely human. Spike immediately reached into the demon's denim jacket pocket and pulled out a hand burning with blue goop and glass.

"What the fuck?" he shouted, startled by sudden searing pain and shaking his hand free of it, wiping some of it on his pants leg. "Tricky little bugger aren't you." He snarled through clenched fangs. He reared back and kicked the living shit out of her ribs on the left side. She gasped, trying to regain the air she'd just been so forcefully deprived of.

"No…" she choked. "No. That's it. It's the antibody." She coughed violently crying all the while at the sharp stabs in her chest as she attempted to breathe again. She sounded like she was hyperventilating.

"She's supposed to swallow this?" he growled incredulously but trying to speed up the answer process. She seemed to like the game of twenty questions. The small demon couldn't manage air and so shook her head weakly, loosing her light. The fire on her legs had gone out when he had kicked her and she'd rolled on top of it, smothering the small flame. Shame; he would have liked to see a bonfire after he beat her for information.

"Then what, Snake woman?" he hissed, growing more and more urgent and tired of her games.

"Put it on…her…" she said gasping for more air.

"Her what? You don't get partial credit for incomplete answers on this test demon." He demanded impatiently.

"A cut…there's a cut." She coughed desperately. That was all Spike needed to know. Despite what little miss Coax thought, he wasn't one to accept death so easily. Hello…vampire. He bent down and began stripping her jacket off her body, leaving her only in a thin camisole on the floor in a heap. She didn't move much, and seemed very near walking the dark tunnel. He hoped she wasn't expecting a light, because in his experience, there wasn't one. He ran to where he had left Drusilla, and scoured the pavement. Her body was gone. Where the Hell did she disappear to? He sniffed the air instinctively. There was no trace of her scent anywhere.

"Drusilla!" he shouted as loudly as he could, finding himself growling animalistically at the same time. He scoured the square shouting her name viciously. After several minutes of searching and no trace of a scent or any other clues he dropped to his knees in unwanted confusion and helplessness.


End file.
